Combination display package and container



Dec. 8, 1959 F. E. McKAY COMBINATION DISPLAY PACKAGE AND CONTAINER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1957 Dec. 8, 1959 F. E. M KAY COMBINATIONDISPLAY PACKAGE A ND CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22, 1957United States Patent COMBINATION DISPLAY PACKAGE AND CONTAINERApplication May 22, 1957, Serial No. 660,804

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-'45.13)

This invention relates to a combination display package and containerfor articles of merchandise and has for an object the provision of a boxconstituted of opposed generally symmetrical components hinged together,preferably on a vertical axis, for opening along a medial line fordisplay and/or removal of a contained article which automatically iscentered in the opening when the box is opened but which, when the boxis closed, has the greater volume of its bulk enclosed within one of thetwo components. This leaves space within the other component for anadditional article without loss of space in either component. Hence, thebox may be made no larger than necessary to accommodate the twoarticles, one of which is centered automatically upon opening the box.

Such a box is particularly suited for the packaging and display of anelectrical device with which one desires to package an operatingelectrical cord, for example, in the case of an electric razor. Sincethe total space requirement is only for the razor and the cord which areof unequal size, the larger of the two, namely, the razor, must, inorder to secure the most compact package, extend in closed positionsubstantially all the way into one of the hinged members and only partway into the other. Hence, in the closed position, the razor is notcentered in the box and it is the object of this invention to so mountthe razor within the box that it will automatically center across thegap between the box members when the box is opened, even though it isnot centered in the box when it is closed.

The structure and operation of boxes of this invention are bestdescribed when taken in connection with a typical embodiment of theinvention as shown in the acompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the box in closed positionindicating in dotted lines the relative position certain of the enclosedparts and contents;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the box of Fig. 1 in openposition;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the box as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the box as shown in Fig. 2, with certainportions in cross-section to reveal certain of the enclosed parts andcontents;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section taken along the broken line 5-5 ofFig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail taken along the line 66 ofFig. 3;

Figs. 7 and 9 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 77 of Fig.1 and 9-9 of Fig. 2, respectively; and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figs. 7 and 9, showing thebox at a position intermediate its closed position of Fig. 7 and itsopen position of Fig. 9.

The box is composed of two symmetrical members or shells 12 and 14connected together along their rear opposed meeting edges by a hinge 16.

The shell 12 includes a top wall 1 8 and bottom wall 20 with an attachedleg 22; while the shell 14 similarly has a top wall 24, bottom wall 26,and leg 28.

2,916,140 Fatented Dec. 8,1959

The article to be displayed, such as a ladies electric razor 30, issupported by friction in a socket 32 from which it can be removed. Thesocket 32 has bottom edge portions 33 riding freely on the base walls 20and 26, but is screwed at 35 to a base plate 34 so that the combinedsocket and base guide plate function as a carriage for the razor 30.

As shown in Fig. 7, the bottom wall 20 of the lefthand shell'18 has afixed rivet 36 extending upwardly through an arcuate guide slot B8 inthe plate 34' and a second fixed rivet 40 extending upwardly through asecond arcuate guide slot 42 in the plate 34.

The bottom wall 26 of the other shell 14 has a single rivet 44 extendingupwardly through a guide slot 46, the two rivets or pins 40 and 44 beingequidistant from the hinge line 16.

The result is thatwhen one of the two shells 12 and 14 is moved relativeto the other about the hinge 16 the carriage is free to float on itsbottom edges 33 without motion with respect to either shell until thepins 40 and 36 have reached the positions shown in Fig. 8, having movedthe length of the arcuate slots 38 and 42. As the shells are furtheropened the carriage moves in fixed relation to the shell 12 with theresult that the carriage is swung outwardly to the center position shownin Fig. 9, whereat further opening of the box is prevented by theengagement of the right-hand end of the slot 46 with the pin 44.

The slots 38 and 42 thus act as a lost motion connection to permit thecarriage to extend in closed position partly into the left-hand shell 12to a greater degree than it extends into that shell in the open positionof Fig. 9, but restricts the motion of the carriage into the shell 12 sothat it cannot extend beyond the position of Fig. 7, thus leaving aspace for the insertion of a compartment 50 in the inner portion of theshell 12 for reception of an electrical cord 52, as shown in Fig. 4. Thecarriage and its razor thus have a centered position symmetrical withrespect to the open gap between the shells when the box is open; and anofiset position asymmetrical with respect to the closed gap between theshells when the box is closed; and automatically move from one positionto the other as the box is opened or closed.

After the box has been opened and the razor 30 removed from its socket32, the user may reach into the shell 12 and remove the compartment 50,since the latter has a height less than the height of the shell 12 asindicated in Fig. 1. The cord can then be removed from the compartment.

The box thus comprises a very compact package for containing the razorand its cord in such manner that the razor is centrally displayed whenthe box is opened as shown in Fig. 2 and wherein there is fullutilization of the volume of the two shells when the box is closed.

I claim:

1. A combination display package and container comprising two hollowopposed shells, a hinge connecting said shells together for permittingopening and closing hinging motion of the shells relative to oneanother, a carriage adapted to support an article of merchandise to bedisplayed and lost motion pin and slot connections be tween saidcarriage and said shells for guidedly moving said carriage as the box isclosed from an open box display position extending symmetrically acrossthe open gap between said shells to a closed box position extending intoat least one of said shells asymmetrically with respect to the closedgap between said shells to provide space in the other of said shells forstorage of an article additional to an article mounted on said carriage.

2. A combination display package and container comprising two hollowopposed generally symmetrical shells, a vertically-disposed hingeconnecting said shells together for permitting opening and closinghinging motions of the shells relative to one another about a verticalaxis, a carriage adapted to support an article of merchandise to bedisplayed mounted within said box and resting on the bottom wall of atleast one of said shells, pins extending upwardly from the bottom wallsof both of said shells and arcuate slots of predetermined length in saidcarriage through which said pins extend, said slots acting to guidedlymove said carriage as the box is closed from an open box displayposition extending symmetrically across the open gap between said shellsto a closed box position extending into both of said shellsasymmetrically with respect to the closed gap between said shells toprovide additional space in the other of said shells when the box is inits closed position.

3. A combination display package and container comprising two hollowopposed generally symmetrical shells, a vertically-disposed hingeconnecting said shells together for permitting opening and closinghinging motion of the shells relative to one another about a verticalaxis, a carriage adapted to support an article of merchandise to bedisplayed mounted within said box and resting on the bottom wall of atleast one of said shells, and a lost motion pin and slot connectionbetween said carriage and at least one of said shells for guidedlymoving said carriage as the box is closed from an open box display posi'tion extending symmetrically across the open gap between said shells toa closed box position extending into said shells. asymmetrically withrespect to the closed gap between said shells to provide space in theother of said shells for storage of an article additional to an articlemounted on said carriage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS583,925 McGowan June 8, 1897 2,488,067 Roark Nov. 15, 1949 2,556,638Wickersham June 12, 195l 2,588,957 Brown Mar. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS712,973 France Aug. 3, 1931

